A New Beginning
by kingdom-of-randomness
Summary: James Potter was the self-confident kind. He would always wake up in the morning knowing that his day was going to be successful. James Potter didn't know the concept of failing. Except when it came to a certain red-head. ONE SHOT. JamesxLily


James Potter was the self-confident kind. He would always wake up in the morning knowing that his day was going to be successful. He knew perfectly that he had a whole lot of girls after him, and he always made sure to show off and use a seductive tone around each one of them, just to have the pleasure of seeing them swoon under his charm. James Potter didn't know the concept of failing.

Except when it came to a certain red-head.

Lily Evans was the only one who didn't drool over him. She would just raise her perfectly traced eyebrows at him, and walk away indifferently. It became an obsession for James to catch her attention, but all he caught were hexes. He spent nights wondering why she resisted him, why she didn't seem to feel any kind of attraction towards him, when almost all the girls of his year desperately wanted to date him. As the time passed, this obsession turned into something James Potter didn't expect it to. He began glancing at her in class. Then he kept 'accidently' bumping into her in the hallways, casually starting a conversation, even when she didn't stop to talk to him. When he realized that his heartbeat always raced every time he saw her, it hit him like a wave: He _loved_ Lily Evans. After that, he never missed an occasion to ask her out. But it only made her hate him even more every time. But he never gave up. Because he realized that this time, it wasn't a personal satisfaction he wanted to win. It was the girl's heart.

Years passed, yet he never let it down. Every day he tried, as if he knew that one day she would say _yes_. Even after the O. , he was determined showing her that he was not as bad as Snape. Even if she didn't speak to him after what he had done.

One day on their sixth year, a couple of weeks after being back to school, no one had seen Lily the whole day. James missed classes to look for her, yet she had disappeared. When dinner time came, he hoped she would have come back, but she hadn't. James thought she was probably sick. Unable to eat anything, he escaped from the crowd and headed to the astronomy tower, thinking a bit of fresh air would make him feel better.

As he climbed the stairs, the day they passed their O. kept playing in his mind. Maybe if he hadn't done that, Lily would have already said _yes_ to him. Maybe he only messed up everything, if it wasn't already. James found himself thinking that he preferred when she used to yell at him then now, when she ignored him. At least when she was angry at him, she showed him a bit of attention. But now, he felt like he didn't exist anymore to her.

James sighed as he reached the top of the tower. Cool air caressed his face, and he shivered. James stepped ahead but instantly stopped as his eyes caught a familiar bright shade of red contrasting with the darkness of the night. His lips curled into a grin.

"Merlin, Evans! Where have you been?"

Lily straightened her back at the sound of his voice, as if she froze. Her hands quickly reached up her face, and James figured she was probably putting on some lipstick. He smirked and walked over to her, so that he was standing right behind her, from where she was sitting on the floor.

"Come to have some fresh air, have we?" he raised an eyebrow, tilting his head slightly. Lily responded by sniff, keeping as still as a statue. "Same here. Not that I never go out! I do. Quite often, actually. You know, Quidditch practice…" he sat down beside her and leaned back on his hands, his shirt lifting up a bit to give her a little view of his abs.

But Lily didn't bother looking at him. She stayed still, her knees firmly brought to her chest by her arms. Her face was hidden by her long red hair. She sniffed again.

"You're not really talkative to-"

"Go away." Lily cut him off with a weak, croaking voice.

James frowned. Usually, these two words were shouted, and followed by a hex. She sniffed.

"_Lily_, are you alright?" he asked, his tone full of concern.

Lily sniffed once more, but didn't respond. James hesitantly lifted a hand up, and pushed her hair off her face, like a silky red curtain. Lily looked up at him, and he froze. Her eyes were red, and her cheeks humid. It looked like she had been crying for hours.

"I said. Go. away." She said harshly, glaring at him.

"No. not until you tell me what's wrong." He said firmly.

"_You._" She spat, standing up to leave.

James stood up as well and grabbed her arm, making her turn around. "Does that mean my last hundred apologies hadn't been accepted?" he asked, smiling slightly.

"How could you do that?" she asked in a trembling voice, shaking her arms away from his grip.

"You were going to discover who he truly was sooner or later anyway, weren't you?" He said, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

Lily opened her mouth to answer, but nothing came out. She closed it back and looked away, feeling the back of her eyes burning. James sighed.

"I'm sorry. I really am, Evans. But I don't regret what I did. I…" he rubbed the side of his neck, and finished his sentence hesitantly. "I couldn't afford him to hurt you. But I guess I failed…"

Lily looked up at him, a surprised laugh escaping her lips "James Potter? _Fail_? I never thought I'd ever hear these words in one sentence. Must be the end of the world or something." She chuckled.

James' lips curled into a wide grin at the way his name sounded on her tongue, and he felt his cheeks burn slightly. "Probably," he chuckled as well.

Lily and James' eyes locked. James felt himself fall into the bright shade of green that was looking back at him. Lily Evans was _smiling_ to him. It wasn't the usual sarcastic smile she usually had when he was around. It was a pure reflection of happiness itself. "I was wondering… um…" he brought a hand up to his hair, messing it even more. James could see by the way Lily raised an eyebrow that she knew what he was going to ask her. But for some reasons, nothing came out of his mouth. _Maybe I should wait_, he thought. _Maybe all she needs is a bit of time_. He cleared his throat "I was wondering if you could lend me your potions notes. I missed class today, so I didn't get to… well, it would be great if I didn't get more than five detentions a week." He laughed.

Lily frowned. _What?_ A little voice rang in her head. She shook her thoughts away and smiled "Y-yes, sure! Of course…"

"Brilliant. See you later then, _Lily_." He smiled, before making his way back to the common room.

Lily watched him leave, still frowning in confusion. A smile crossed her lips.

James Potter didn't fail often. But when he did, it made him win.


End file.
